Insulating-support for high-tension conductors.



R. 1): MERSHQN. v I INSULATING SUPPORT FOR HIGH TENSION CONDUGTORS.

A-PPLIUATION FILED FEB.5,1908. I 1 942,335, Patemeu Dec.7,1909.

3SHEETSSHEET 1.

67mm nl'oz gulp/Q Effie/191 2071 351371113 a fl'oz ncl a wi/tme/soeo Y W 1% R. D. MERSHON. INSULATING SUPPORT FOR HIGH TENSION GONDUCTOES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.5, 1908.

Patented Deo.7,1909.

3 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

R. D. MERSHON. INSULATING SUPPORT FOR EIGH TENSION CONDUGTORS.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB-5,1908. 942,335.

Patented Dec. 7, 1.909

3 SHEBTSSHEET 3.

3 71/ 612 1\ I a gwwm V MU AMA Ma I 'd 5 c yn 224a W RALPH D. MERSHGN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

INSULATING-SUPPORT OR. HIGH-TENSION CONDUCTORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedv Dec. 7, 1909.

Application filed February 5, 19Q8. Serial No. 414,308.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH D. Mnnsnoiv,

a citizen of the United States, residing at High-Tension Conductors, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

()ne of the important problems encountered 1n the electrical t'ltlllSlIllSSlOll of power by means of currents of high potentials is that of insulation, and much time and ingenuity have been expended in the endeavor to provide economical and e'lfective insulation for high tension conductors. I have also been led to attack the problem and have devised an insulating conductorsupport consisting essentially of a framed structure having insulating structural members, so arranged or disposed relatively to each other and to the conductor, that mechanical forces originating in the conductor will be resolved into components acting on'appropriate structural members of the framework. in this way mechanical forces in the conductor can be resolved, in the insulating framework, into forces of tension or compression or both,-with practically complete elimination of bending moments. Hence the insulating members of the framework have to resist only such strains, to-wit, tension or compression, as they are best adapted, by the nature of the material composing them, to withstand. At. the same time, the form of the insulating members can be. such as to entirely eliminate so-called puncturing discharges, which kind of disclutrge is always fatal to any kind of in ulator, rendering it unfit for further use, and to eoutine all possible discharges to tlash around discharges. The latter are almost always fatal to insulators of the ordinary type when the power are which follows the [lush is of any appreciable current on the line is suliicient to produce a powe are giving otf a considerable amount of heat. \Vith my insulator, however, a

'tlash-aroulnil discharge, and the power are following, will in the great majority of cases leave the insulator in good condition for further use.

The invention thus briefly outlined I have claimed broadly in my copending applica-.

tion, Serial No. 374,926, filed May 21, 1907,

magnitude, that is. when the,

. now Patent No. 917,785, issued April 13,

1909, describing the invention as embodied in a construction in which the mechanical forces originating in the conductor are 'resolved into both tension and compression.

The invention which'forms the sub3cct of my present application is a species of the generic invention'claimed in my application above mentioned but. difi'ers from the forms therein illustrated in that in the present case the conductor forces are resolved into components of substantially one kind only, preferably compression forces.

In the annexed drawing I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, and reference may now be" had to the drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the insulating structure. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional plan view showing the preferred way of connecting the insulating members to' the conductor-supporting device. Fig. lis a detail sectional plan view showing the preferred way of connecting the insulating members with the ver tical members of the structure. Fig. 5 is a plan view of an important modification, and Fig. 6 is a side view of the same, partly in section. "Figs. 7 and 8 are plan and side views of a further modification.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and l ofthc drawing, 1 designates the structure on which the illf'sttltlllllf) support forthe conductor is mounted. for example a cross-arm in the form of a lattice meu'iber extcnding horizontally t'rom a tower or other structure not.

shown. j'llic base. of the insulating framework which supports the conductor 3 consists of side members l, 5, t3, 7, and a cross member or support. 2, all of which in the present case. are parts of the. lattice member 1. Rising from the corners of the base are upright. supporting members 9, 10, 11, 12, preferably provided with integral braces or gussets, as 13.

Extending ,diagonally inward from the uprightsupporting members at, the tops thereof arcv four insulating members, 14, 15, ll), IT preferably cylindrical and petticoated or ribbed as shown, which members are connected to the uprights and to a center piece 18 preferably in the manner hereinafter described. The center picce18 is the part to which the conductor 3 is secured and consists 2 ceases preferably of an octagonal plate provided with tour upwardly extending ears 19, to which the diagonal members are connected. The conductor may be secured to the center plate in any convenient way, as by clamps 20, as shown. Extending between the center plate and the trans-verse supporting member 8, is a vertical insulating member 21. Each of the insulating membe s consists prefer-- ably of an elongated cylindrical part, of suitable insulating material, as glass, porcelain, ete., provided at its ends with caps 22, 23, having threaded stems 2 1, 25 for connection with the center plate and the respective upright or the cross member 8.

' Any convenient method may be used for eliminating all or substantially all tensional force, preferably by employing suit-able connections between the insulating members 14., 15, 1G, 17 and the uprights or between the said members and the center plate. A convenient method of connection for this purpose is shown in Fig. 1, but more clearly in Figs. 3 and On the steni, (Fig. 3), be tween the nut 26 and the center plate ear 19, that .is, on the tension side of the ear, is a pair of spring washers 2'7, andon the compression side of the ear, between the ear and the cap 22, a single spring washer 28. Also, 1 may employ at the outer end of each member spring washers 29, one on each side of the upright, as shown in Fig. 4. At each end of the vertical member 21 is a spring washer 30. These washers 27, 28, 29, 30'also serve as cushions, to relieve the comparatively fragile insulating members from vibration and from injurious shocks due to sudden or violent strains on the conductors, as will be readily understood. In order to permit a slight amount of play, the apertures in the uprights and center plate ears are somewhat larger than the stems 2e, 25, and similarly the apertures in the center plate and cross member are larger than the stems on the member 21.

It will now be seen that the mechanical forces in the conductor will be resolved into compression components in the insulating members. Thus the weight of the conductor, and other vforces exerted directly clownward on the center plate, are taken as com prcssion forces by the vertical insulating member 21. Force's exerted longitudinally of the conductor, say in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, will cause the *ashers 27 on members let and 15 to yield, but before these washers can yield enough to cause more than slight tension to be exerted on those niembers the single washers 28 on men'ibers 16 and 1? will yield enough to cause practically all the force to be exerted as compression on the latter members. Similarly, a force acting transversely of the conductor, say toward the right in Fig. 1, will be resolved into compression forces in members 15 and 16. In any case there will be practically no bending strains on the insulating members, since the enlarged openings through. which their stems pass permit the necessary play of the parts as the center plate is moved in one direction or another. it is evident that reversing the spring washers 27 and 28, that is, putting the two washers 2? on the compression side of the car 19, between the ear and the cap, and the single washer 28 on the tension side, between the ear and the nut, the conductor forces will be resolved into tension components in the insulating members. By putting more spring washers on the tension side the slight tensional torce transmitted to the members may be reduced as much as desired.

Another form of the invention is illus trated in Fig. 5, in which tensional forces are entirely eliminated without the use of springs, though springs for cushioning purposes may be used as in Fig. 1. ln this case the stems 31 and 32, of members 1 2 and 15 are pivotally connected, as by a bolt and similarly the stems 34s, 35, of members 16, 17 are connected by a pivot bolt 36, all these members being connected the uprights in the manner illustrated in Fig. On the pivot bolts 33, 36, are clevises 37, 88, each having a suitable clamp, 39, by which the conductor 3 is rigidly secured to the clevis. Between the two pairs ct members the conductor is slack, as indicated by the loop 40. Beneath the pivotal connections of the horizontal members are vertical insulating members 21, 21", the upper stems of which are pivoted to the bolts 33, At the cross members 8 8 the members 21, 21 have slight play and are preferably provided with spring cushioning washers, as in the ease of the vertical member 21 in Fig. '2.

In the construction just l'escribed it is evident that any force acting longitudinally wttthe conductor will produce only compression in the insulating members. Thus a force in the direction of the arrow a in 5 will be resolved into compression components in members 16 and 17, while the play of the member 21 at the cross member 8 and at the joint with the bolt 33, will effectively prevent any appreciable bending movement being exerted on the said member 21-". which thus receives compression only. On account of the slack loop 40 no force will be transmitted to the members 14s and 15. Sin'iilarly, iii the conductor spans are bowed out the wind, say in the direction indicated by the arrows 7). it is clear that the force which causes the bowing-out will also be resolved only inte components oi compression in the members, though the compression in members 141 and 17 will of course be less than in the others. It will alsb be clear that wind-pressure can in no case produce tensional forces in the members unless the spans be bowed out beyond t ie axes ofganairmmlacrs on the same ride as th -cit'ill another iorm of the invention is;

illustrated in Figs. T and 8. in this. case the insulating members .1 i 15". and are secured rigidly at their outer (lliih to the y V 1 the invention as dehncd by the following uprights and the appropriate cross member. and their inner ends are rigidly connected together, as by being :ememed in suitable sockets in a casting a l. The insulating members 16, 17*, and 21 are similarly connected to their uprights and cross member, and to a similar casting t2. .ln this construction, as may also be the case, if desired, in the form shown in Figs. 5 and (3. the upwardly extending insulating members are inclined inwardly, as shown, the sockets for receiving the same being inclined to permit such arrangement. fastened rigidly to the connecting castings by suitable means, as the clamps l3, prefer ably as near as possible to the intersections of the axes of the insulating members. A slight amount of slack is left in the conductor between its points of attachment .or support, as shown. It is now evident that in this form of the invention as in the form illustrated in Figs. and (3, forces acting on the conductor spans longitudinally, downwardly, or laterally will be resolved into compression components in the insulating members. The weight of the castings 41 and 42 tends to exert tension on their respective horizontal members, since the axes of the upwardly extending members 21, 21 are not exactly vertical; but when the structure in use, the pull of the con ductor, due to its weight, is exerted as compression and is generally sufficient to overcome such tension. 1

The forces into which the conductor-forces are resolved, are, in anyicase, such as the insulating members are best adapted to withstand. At. the same time the thickness of the insulating material, measured from cap to cap is so great that puncturing cannot occur, since the voltage which would be necessary to puncture the insulation from cap to cap'is enormously greater than that which would cause a discharge or flash around the insulation,.say from the conductor to one of the uprights. Hence a flash-around would-occur, and relieve the excessive potential, before a voltage suflicient to puncture the insulation could be reached.

Furthermore, the form of the insulating members may be such, for example the cylindrical form shown, with the grooves comparatively shallow, that the insulation will not be broken by the heat. or .any power are, that is. the dynamic are due to the line current following the flash. Such an arc will lengthen itself and finally break by attenua- The conductor 3, is;

lion in the well known way, leaving the insu ating structure in condition for service as before.

it is to be understood that the constructions herein specifically shown and described are merely the preferred forms of the invention, and can be modified in various ways without. departing from the proper scope of claims.

I claim 1. An insulating support for high tension conductors, comprising a framed structure having insulating structural members for resolving mechanical. forces originating in the conductor into cmnponents and connected each to oppose forces substantially in one direction only, as set forth.

An insulating support for high tension conductors, comprising a framed structure having insulating strm-tu ral members-for resolving mechanical forces originating in therondmrtors into components and connected to oppose forces substantially of compression only, as set forth.

8. An insulating support for high tension conductors, comprising a framed structure having insulating structural members converging toward the conductor and connected. each to oppose forces substantially in one direction only, as set forth.

4-. An insulating support. for high tension conductors, comprising a framed structure having insulating structural members for resolving mechanical forces originating'in the conductor into components, conductorcarrying means, and COl'lliCt't'lOliS between the said means and the said insulating members, constructed to transmit to the respective members substantially only forces in one d i rection, as set forth.

5. An insulating support for hightension conductors, comprising cent *ally placed means for *arrying the conductor. insulating members convergin toward said means, and yielding connections between said 1110i ns and the said insulating members, as set. forth.

6. An insulating supportfor high tension conductors, comprising horizontal and vertical insulating membersconverging toward the conductor, and means for connecting the conductor with the said insulating members,

as set forth.

7. An insulating support for high tension conductors,comprising a plurality of insulating members arranged to resolve mechanical'forces originating in the conductor into components, and means for yieldingly supporting said members, as set forth.

8. An insulating support for high tension conductors, comprising a plurality of supporting members. a conductorearrying device, and a plurality of insulating members yieldingly connected with said supportingmembers and saiti eonciuctot-eerrying cleviee, as set forth.

9; An insulating support for high tension eontlnetors, comprising a plurality of sup porting members, a plurality of insulating members enehyieldingly connected at one end With a supporting member and means *or connecting the insulating members at heir other ends With the conductor as set orth.

10, An insulating support for high ten sion conductors, comprising a plurality of upright supporting members, a plurality of insulating members extending diagonally inward from said upright members, conductor carrying means connected with the said insulating members at their inner encls, and a Vertical insulating member below said conductor carrying means, as set forth.

11. An insulating support for high tension conductors, comprising a plurality of insulating members extending horizontally from the conductor on ezreh side thereof, means for connecting the said members with the conductor at their adjacent ends, and means for supporting the said members at their outer ends, as set forth.

R; LPl -l. D. lllERSl ION.

lVitnesses:

S. S. rp l 

